Everett keeps Boeing 777 parts floating in

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Port of Everett received a $1.5 million grant from Washington state to help complete the second phase of its roll-on/roll-off cargo facility, a dock-strengthening project which will allow it to accommodate the world’s biggest ro-ro ships.
Ro-ro vessels provide shipping to the local aerospace industry and nearby military installation. Recently, Gov. Jay Inslee announced a strategy to ensure the Boeing 777X is assembled in Washington state. Among the list of strategies was the investment in the port’s ro-ro dock. Some of the plane’s parts are manufactured in Asia.
The Port of Everett is also rebuilding the rail spur on the terminal with the help of a state rail bank loan.
“Our ability to support the aerospace logistics chain will be greatly enhanced with state funding for this project,” Port of Everett Executive Director John Mohr said in a statement last week.
The Port of Everett has been a critical piece of the Boeing 777's logistics. According to a Seattle Times article on Oct. 9, 1992, the port's commissioners signed a multi-year agreement with the Boeing for use of its deep-water shipping facilities to transport the 777 parts from Japan to the manufacturing facility at Paine Field. Since entering the deal, Everett has moved every oversized part for more than 1,000 B777 planes that have been delivered to date, the port said.